Help with Stained Glass

[mottcru]

Hi all - I would like to try my hand at stained glass technique. I've seen some beautiful images in the galleries, but haven't found a good tut in the subscriber area. There's a technique in the newsletter Vol3 #3, but I didn't get the effect from it I was hoping for. Can anyone direct me to the best learning spot??

Thanks!

[jo]

I don't know about the "best", but I put 4 stained glass tuts on my website. The first one is the simplest, but the last one has screen prints to show what I'm talking about.

http://www.chambersofmyheart.com/myhtml/tutorials01.html

[kayser]

Betsy- I had so much trouble with this technique until Jo posted her tutorial- I think you'll like it!

[mottcru]

Jo and Kay - Perfect! I just glanced at your tutorials Jo, and they look like exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks so much

[Georgette Grossman]

I am new to the creative aspects of PSE, but your stained glass tutorial was inspiring! I did a take-off on the last tutorial but have a few questions. How do you use the polygonal lasso to select other straight edged shapes like a diamond shape. What did you use to make the crisscross lines that go through the center?

I don't understand what is going on when you choose areas with the magic wand on the stroke layer and then changing the color on the glass layer. How can that happen?

Also, initially I made my stroke color grey, then went back and changed it to black; what I got was a "double border" of gray inside of black. Hummm??

I attached my attempt.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated :)

I don't know about the "best", but I put 4 stained glass tuts on my website. The first one is the simplest, but the last one has screen prints to show what I'm talking about.

http://www.chambersofmyheart.com/myhtml/tutorials01.html

[jo]

I am new to the creative aspects of PSE, but your stained glass tutorial was inspiring! I did a take-off on the last tutorial but have a few questions. How do you use the polygonal lasso to select other straight edged shapes like a diamond shape. What did you use to make the crisscross lines that go through the center?

I don't understand what is going on when you choose areas with the magic wand on the stroke layer and then changing the color on the glass layer. How can that happen?

Also, initially I made my stroke color grey, then went back and changed it to black; what I got was a "double border" of gray inside of black. Hummm??

I attached my attempt.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated :)
Your attachment is so small I can't really see much. Maybe if you sized it a little bigger we could see how it looks.

With the polygonal lasso you click on a point, drag the lasso to another point and click on it, and so on -- until you get back to the beginning.

Using the magic wand on the empty spaces in the stroke layer selects those empty spaces. Then you switch back to the layer you want to color/filter/whatever and you have the selection inside the lines of the stroke layer.

I'm not sure what happened with your double stroke.

[Georgette Grossman]

I was able to use the polygonal lasso to make the diamond, but that tool did not work for making the cross lines. Tried a pencil, but that did not work. Any thoughts?

You said: "Using the magic wand on the empty spaces in the stroke layer selects those empty spaces. Then you switch back to the layer you want to color/filter/whatever and you have the selection inside the lines of the stroke layer." However when I choose areas on the stroke layer and change to make the glass layer active, all of my Enhance choices are grayed out. I can make color changes on the stroke layer by pouring the color, but then it doesn't look the same. How did you choose areas on one layer and make those changes on another layer?

"I'm not sure what happened with your double stroke."... I think that I went into it multiple times and put the gray stroke on the center and the black stroke on the outside.

I don't know how to get it below 125 KB to attach to this message :(

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Georgette Grossman

[Bayla]

I was able to use the polygonal lasso to make the diamond, but that tool did not work for making the cross lines. Tried a pencil, but that did not work. Any thoughts?

I think I used the line tool & erased bits I didn't want. (you have to simplify it first)


I don't know how to get it below 125 KB to attach to this message :(


Save for web & make your longest side 700 pixels. Then go to Pixentral.com & upload your picture there. Then triple click on the second link below your picture (the one for forums) & then you can paste it into your message.

Bayla

[jo]

Georgette, I'm not an artist and most of the lines I draw are with a lasso or a rectangular/oval marquee. You can erase the pieces of lines you don't want -- just blow up the image so you can really see what you are doing.

And when you switch to the "glass" layer after making a selection on the stroke layer, that glass layer needs something already there to make an enhancement to it -- it shouldn't be a blank layer. If your choices are grayed out I'm guessing you are trying to put color on a blank layer.

[Georgette Grossman]

Bayla said: I think I used the line tool & erased bits I didn't want. (you have to simplify it first)
I tried the line, but it did not seem to be drawing anything on the strokes layer. Also, how do you arrange the "stack" of shapes on the strokes layer so that they intersect the way you want? Do you have to put them on separate layers and then merge down? The move in front or in back commands seemed to move layers only, not objects on the stroke layer. Simplify was grayed out for the strokes layer.

Thanks for the directions; the picture is uploaded and is located here
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1g3LpI68XJBDGjSIN8AjADmbApcHU

Maybe a picture is worth 1,000 words :rolleyes: and once you see it you will understand my problems :)

Many thanks to all who are helping me understand how to make this work!
Georgette

[Georgette Grossman]

jo said: ...most of the lines I draw are with a lasso or a rectangular/oval marquee. You can erase the pieces of lines you don't want -- just blow up the image so you can really see what you are doing.

OK, this seemed to work, but I still have an issue about stacking so I see where lines intersect. Do you draw the shapes on separate stroke layers and then merge down? Or, do you just have to plan carefully as you draw?
Instead of the lines showing through, they seemed to be blocked by the shapes above them.

jo said: And when you switch to the "glass" layer after making a selection on the stroke layer, that glass layer needs something already there to make an enhancement to it -- it shouldn't be a blank layer. If your choices are grayed out I'm guessing you are trying to put color on a blank layer.

When I just make the glass layer visible, I see the whole lily photograph behind a glass filter and I see the divisions from the stroke layer. Yes, I can choose them on the glass layer but the Enhance options are all grayed out. When I choose them with the Magic Wand on the stroke layer, Enhance options are available, but when I try to colorize the chosen areas I get an error message that no pixals are chosen. AGHHHHH :confused:

I did upload my photo and it is here: http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1g3LpI68XJBDGjSIN8AjADmbApcHU

Thank you for your patience as I work through this. I may just start all over with your directions and see what happens the 2nd time :confused: , but not tonight!! Must go to work tomorrow and have a class after that!

Georgette

[jo]

...I still have an issue about stacking so I see where lines intersect. Do you draw the shapes on separate stroke layers and then merge down? Or, do you just have to plan carefully as you draw?
Instead of the lines showing through, they seemed to be blocked by the shapes above them.

jo said: And when you switch to the "glass" layer after making a selection on the stroke layer, that glass layer needs something already there to make an enhancement to it -- it shouldn't be a blank layer. If your choices are grayed out I'm guessing you are trying to put color on a blank layer.

When I just make the glass layer visible, I see the whole lily photograph behind a glass filter and I see the divisions from the stroke layer. Yes, I can choose them on the glass layer but the Enhance options are all grayed out. When I choose them with the Magic Wand on the stroke layer, Enhance options are available, but when I try to colorize the chosen areas I get an error message that no pixals are chosen. AGHHHHH :confused:

First -- about stacking the lines -- that isn't something I thought about, but if you prefer to make separate layers and then merge them down, that works. I just feel that making all the lines on one layer is simpler. And I see what you mean about a gray line outlined by a narrow black stroke. Maybe it would be easier to just start over.

Second -- when you work on the glass layer, don't be confused by what you see from the layers above it. It sounds as if you are selecting an area on the stroke layer and forgetting to make the "glass" layer active. "No pixels are chosen" is a hint that you still have the stroke layer active.

[mottcru]

Jo - or whoever! This is my second stained glass try. I would really appreciate some comments, tips etc. Anything I should do differently?

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/view_img.php?id=10338

[Wendy]

Hi Betsy ...

Oh I like that very much ... I wouldn't change anything on it :)

Well done ..

Wendy

[jo]

Betsy, it looks like you got the idea! Good job!

[jo]

Georgette, when I woke up this morning I wondered if it would help to repeat what I've read here (explained by Pauline and a few others, but I don't know where) about layers in general.

Think of layers as transparencies stacked one on top of another.

Where there is a checkerboard transparency the layer below it will show.
If the opacity is 100%, the picture covers what is below it.
If the opacity is lowered, you'll see some of what is below.

[mottcru]

Thanks Wendy and Jo - the one challenge I'm having is to get the glass layer to look more subtle, frostier, more glowing like I've seen in the galleries. What is the best pattern in the choices for that? - I even added some Gaussian blur, but it's not quite there. Thanks

[Wendy]

Hi Betsy ...

Why not let us have a link to one of the galleries that you have seen it in and one of us will try to work it out for you :)

Wendy

[wdlovern]

I get pretty good results using the glass filter on a picture, but it doesn't work on solid colors except for the edges. I tried it on a few frames and it isn't quiet what I was looking for.

[mottcru]

Wdlovern - I love the leaded glass photo in your gallery. Very nicely done - I think there must be a difference between leaded glass look and stained glass. Did you use the glass filter on that?

[wdlovern]

Thanks, I am happy with the way that pic came out. I used the glass filter and reduced the opacity a little. I like the way the trees are lined up and still wanted to see them. From the posts it looks like a gradient should be used instead of solid colors. I will have to give that a try next.

[Georgette Grossman]

I sat down again this weekend with Jo's tutorial directions and this time they worked!! (user error :o )

It is my first posting to the Photoshop Elements website: a lily shot at the Elizabethan Gardens, NC (near the beach) framed in stained glass.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/viewgallery.php?user=694

Progress in learning all the wonderful features in Elements is slow, but steady.

Again thanks,
Georgette

[kayser]

Georgette- That's beautiful! It's such a good feeling when you are able to put it all together.

[jo]

Very nice, Georgette!

[mottcru]

Georgette - Really nice!! I love how you put it all together!

[Robyn]

Excellent work Georgette, such beautiful colours...........I love it.

[Wendy]

Georgette ...

Oh you have done that so well ... it looks really good :)

Wendy

[karen donnybrook]

Georgette,

That looks great - well done.

Karen